Beyond Pink and Blue

If you’re interested in this topic of gender boxes and those who don’t live in them, you might want to check out the new Psychology Today blog, “Beyond Pink and Blue.”

It’s written by Christia Spears Brown, Ph.D., who is an Associate Professor of Developmental Psychology at the University of Kentucky, where she studies the effects of gender stereotypes among children and adolescents.

I stumbled across it because she blogged on the recent New York Times article in which I was quoted, but I really like her inaugural post, where she calls out the “boys are just rambunctious and girls are more timid” bull hockey of gender stereotypes.  It will be interesting to see what else she writes about.

As for me, I have four blog posts all wanting to be written at the same time, and no time to finish any of them! Do you want to hear more about the Bible, about men and women in the movies, about “manly” therapy, or a defense of parental anxiety?

By the way, here is a “behind the scenes” brief interview with Ruth Padawer about her experience writing the NYT article. She says she learned a lot from the kids she talked to, and noticed important questions that arise, like “Whose needs should be given more importance? What compromises are possible?”

The interview has links to other parents’ blogs, as well as to the Children’s National Medical Center, where you can learn more about their support options for families with kids who don’t stay in their gender boxes. Also a great brochure to download if you need help explaining your kid to family members or schools, and excerpts from comments on the parent support listserv.